woman in library

Have your say on plans to close Newport Library two days a week

A survey has been launched on plans to reduce opening hours at Lord Louis Library, Newport.

This follows a Full Council decision last February to reduce the library service budget. A consultation is now taking place to ask users their views on the plans to meet this decision.

Share your view
The Isle of Wight council is asking your views on a proposal to reduce the opening times of Lord Louis Library, Newport, from six days a week, to five. This is the same as Ryde Library opening hours.

Current staffing levels will remain through the new opening hours.

Wednesday is the day that has the fewest visitors during the week. Closing on this day means the library is available for other community activities. 

This would achieve a saving of £25,000 per year.

Bacon: Urge as many users as possible to respond
Cllr Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet lead for environment, heritage and waste, said,

“This survey is very important in deciding the future of our library services. I would urge as many users as possible to respond to make sure we have your feedback on this proposal.

“We have to make the most of limited resources available to us as well as making sure we meet the needs of our users so we really want to hear from our residents.”

There is further information about the survey  on the Website.  

Closes in February
The consultation launches today (Monday 13th December 2021) and will run until midnight on Friday 11th February 2022.

To fill in the Lord Louis Library survey, please visit the Website.

There are also paper copies available at all our libraries.

Please return paper copies of the surveys by 5pm on Monday 14th February 2022 to:

Library Headquarters
Lord Louis Library
Orchard Street
Newport
PO30 1LL


News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed

Image: Hatice Yardım under CC BY 2.0

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Mike
24, January 2011 3:21 pm

No David, it’s what people want (that’s what politics should deliver – get it?) Hiving of half of local government to volunteers is a receipe for reducing standards just to satisfy the beancounters.

retired hack
24, January 2011 3:33 pm

I take it as another appalling example of talk-down-to-the-turnipheads management-speak. Next we’ll be be told we’re behind the curve, or worse, that we’re doing something “inappropriate”. There was an intersting use of words, though, in “…to sustain Isle of Wight council-run libraries”. Is he letting slip here that the IW Council intentds to retain control of the libraries, it just isn’t going to pay for them. Power… Read more »

Victor Meldrew
Reply to  retired hack
24, January 2011 5:55 pm

Retired hack, just to complete your quote: Power without responsibility, the prerogative of the harlot through the ages” Stanley Baldwin I believe, but apt, very apt.

Medhaman
Reply to  retired hack
24, January 2011 9:35 pm

It is my understanding that county councils are required by law to maintain an effective library service for the use of their constituents.

Check out the Wirral test case!

hmmm
24, January 2011 4:15 pm

if a library is run by the council, the council is responsible for employing the staff who work in the library. I think what Pugh is trying to say is either: rather than employing people, lets get volunteers to do it for free, and insult the professionalisim that many librarians show whilst also downgrading the service and being forced to close it if someone decides they cant… Read more »

hmmm
Reply to  hmmm
24, January 2011 4:18 pm

i must just add to that.

I think Pugh also seems to have the attitude that town councils will do it, so why should the county council bother? It seems like laziness. Lets farm off services to other groups so that we dont have to run them because thats too much like hard work.

Kirsten
24, January 2011 5:05 pm

The IW Council’s strategic plan (a la Marie Antoinette): “Let them eat cake.”

Bill Lucas
Reply to  Kirsten
24, January 2011 5:29 pm

“Let them eat cake”
And she lost her head :-)

The only thing that David P might want is Andrew Turners seat.

jane nash
24, January 2011 5:24 pm

Or maybe ‘let them play computer games.’

Malcolm
24, January 2011 5:42 pm

I think we should get away from the narrow expectation that councils are run by politicians who are given large allowances, the total of which would be enough to run the libraries they plan to close

Bill Lucas
Reply to  Malcolm
24, January 2011 8:21 pm

Never underestimate the power of what you think are stupid people in large groups. Some of these cuts will come home to D P one day.

Steephill Jack
24, January 2011 5:47 pm

I never even had a narrow expectation of David Pugh except that he will abandon us once he can be a Tory parliamentary candidate.
He will remain as the Council leader, of course, until he gets elected to parliament but then he’ll be gone overnight.

hazel wyld
Reply to  Steephill Jack
24, January 2011 7:45 pm

sorry to become our MP he has to be voted in by the majority of the islanders..can you honestly see that happening!!!!!

no.5
Reply to  hazel wyld
24, January 2011 7:46 pm

he won’t stand on the Island

JSBean
Reply to  hazel wyld
27, January 2011 7:46 am

if people keep voting for AT, what makes you think that they wouldn’t vote for DP?

John
Reply to  JSBean
27, January 2011 10:12 am

Because AT has been a good MP for the Island (I voted for him on a personal basis, while holding my nose at his party’s ideology)and no other believable candidate was available. On the other hand, some might allegethat DP resembles other “political seagulls” in the Westminster Bubble- no real job experience outside politics and rapidly climbing the greasy pole towards greater power. One might also remember… Read more »

jach
24, January 2011 5:52 pm

Basically the tories don’t want public services, everything must be run privately for a profit, they don’t understand anything else, the notion of public services is alien to them. The other thing they don’t like is their taxes being used for the general public. They’ve all got private health care, can afford to buy books, pay for their kids to go to private schools etc and they… Read more »

John
24, January 2011 6:06 pm

It is worth recalling that some Conservative councillors supporting the closure of the five libraries in their areas on 31 March 2011,enjoyed only small majorities in the 2009 council elections. Perhaps, they should remember that disgruntled voters have long memories at the next Council election in two years time. East Cowes Margaret Webster (majority 99) Sandown Ian Ward (264) Shanklin David Williams (403) David Pugh (643) Niton… Read more »

retired hack
Reply to  John
24, January 2011 6:23 pm

Wyatt-Millingon was replaced in a by-election in November by former police detective David Stewart. No one I have met recalls him saying before the election that he intended to vote to withdraw council funding from Niton library and others. Since the election it hasn’t been possible to get a straight answer to the question.

John
Reply to  retired hack
24, January 2011 6:38 pm

Thanks for the correction. No surprise that the IoW Council webpage has not caught up yet!. David Stewart’s margin was 365.

Steephill Jack
Reply to  John
24, January 2011 6:37 pm

Conservative County Councillor for Ventnor Susan Scoccia has already responded to the Save Ventnor Library Campaign by saying that the VTC should stop fighting the cuts and, if we want a local library, it’s time to round up the volunteers to run it.

John
Reply to  Steephill Jack
24, January 2011 6:40 pm

Remember it at the next election- as well as the disposal of the Botanical Garden!

no.5
Reply to  Steephill Jack
24, January 2011 7:15 pm

Then she needs removing from her job, which is supposed to be representing her constiuents, not her own twisted ideals

Realist
Reply to  John
24, January 2011 7:13 pm

Sorry but if you seriously consider that majorities of 300-600 are only small majorities then you are very badly mis-informed. Majorities of that size in electoral divisions of three thousand where only say 35% vote are huge and will not be easily overturned. It will with respect take more than hot air to overturn those majorities in two and a quarter years time. By then voters will… Read more »

no.5
Reply to  Realist
24, January 2011 7:19 pm

I agree…the amount of ‘anti’ voters you would have to mobilise to overturn even a 200 majority would be a miracle.

Although, the council tax, may be frozen the Town council precept will be much larger to pay for the services the Council are dumping.

Not many hoteliers will be very pleased with this Tory dream unless real concessions are made towards tourism and money invested

John
Reply to  Realist
24, January 2011 9:04 pm

“Alternative arrangements will be put in place at no cost” ? Wishful thinking on both counts! As for “local hoteliers and other businesses what they will do. Wake up and smell the coffee.” I suggest that the coffee that will be smelled is that of “local hoteliers and other businesses” seeing their profits plummet as a result a general lack of money for vacations and the island… Read more »

Amanda K
24, January 2011 6:32 pm

Mr Pugh is very patronising and is definitely lost in the world of management speak. I would bet he had a press officer give him all the jargon.

docile denny
Reply to  Amanda K
24, January 2011 6:47 pm

No press officer would put words in to his mouth, he admits he can talk rubbish so well people glaze over.

Paul Miller
24, January 2011 7:51 pm

Wasn’t Mr Pugh going to ‘volunteer’ to work in a Library himself? If so would that be once-only or a ‘regular’ stint? [No typo there. I didn’t mean to say ‘stunt’]

no.5
Reply to  Paul Miller
24, January 2011 8:02 pm

another job he’s not qualified for…he’ll be down the hospital next posing as a doctor :)

Martin
24, January 2011 8:11 pm

I wonder what consideration has been made of the efficiency and effectiveness of a split-responsibility library service, where some services are centrally run and others locally? What would be the real cost of various libraries run by different councils? How will books by allocated? Will the super (?!?) libraries get preference. The whole thing sounds like a recipe for disaster. Add in the costs of all those… Read more »

Realist
Reply to  Martin
24, January 2011 9:45 pm

Martin read the docs. All libraries will be supplied by the exisitng Central Library HQ as now, ie on demand. This HQ will continue to offer free support services to the others inc. training for volunteers. As annoying as it may be to those who do not smell the coffee, just think that this could work well, with reduced cost to the hard-pressed council taxpayer and a… Read more »

Sue M
Reply to  Realist
25, January 2011 9:54 am

People are still missing the point! Even if you manage to find enough volunteers you have to take on ALL the costs of buying/renting the building, electricity, heating, rates, insurance,CRB checks, IT support etc. Although you would have access to the county books no computers would be included, so these would have to be purchased, replaced etc. It’s not a question of just helping out for a… Read more »

John
Reply to  Realist
25, January 2011 10:20 am

Mmmm…. “As ANNOYING as it may be to those who do not smell the coffee, just think that this could work well, with REDUCED COST to the HARD-PRESSED council taxpayer and a SUBSTANTIAL COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT which will actually result in IMPROVED attendances at libraries and therefore BETTER literacy etc.” Straight out of the Tory PR playbook! :-)) [BTW you missed out the other usual groups quoted by… Read more »

L PINKERTON
24, January 2011 9:32 pm

Who is going to specify the books to buy and then pay for the purchases? It is a twice yearly task to keep a library up to date and very expensive. Or perhaps we are just to read Dickens and Trollope like David Pugh did in his youth.

m butcher
24, January 2011 11:50 pm

We all know of Pugh,s ambitions,the Island is only a stepping stone to him.He is doing a Virginia Bottomley,we all remember her.Two years till next council elections, will be to late.This council will have shut down,most sevices by then. And we can,t get rid of Benyon and Pugh,it would cost as much as to keep them.So looks like we are stuck with,the tail wagging the dog.

HaplessEmployee
25, January 2011 12:19 am

How about the “narrow expectation” that the Council will provide proper services for its County?

Sponge
Reply to  HaplessEmployee
25, January 2011 7:46 am

Brilliant. Thank you for the laser-like clarity. That is, of course the central question to all of these cuts.

Dave Q
25, January 2011 10:32 am

In view of the comments by Phew and his cronies, they have no understanding of the purpose of councillors- to respect and represent the people who elected them. We have two years before council elections and possibly four years of the Con/Dems- as far as the Isle of Wight is conceerned, now is the time to start planning the 2013 council elections- I propose a new party-… Read more »

Steephill Jack
Reply to  Dave Q
25, January 2011 11:52 am

That’s right: the representatives of political parties will represent their party interest and put that before all else. Voting for independent candidates is the only way to move on from this block voting party system.

Patrick Joyce
Reply to  Dave Q
25, January 2011 1:50 pm

Dave you already have this its called the Independent Group.Each member is accountable and votes in the interest of his or her ward, no whips telling us what to do.
Its a pity more people did not vote Independent in 2009 elections, hopefully they will remember in 2013

jach
25, January 2011 11:59 am

I agree. Independent Councillors are the way to go. Get party politics out of local government

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